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Out There Revival (E35-3)

Nick J

Nick J

Contributing Partner
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We ended up with a 4:1 mainsheet setup run through a cabin top double clutch that's shared with the main halyard. It's worked well for us both on heavier air days and (far mor common to us in the Puget Sound) light air days. The biggest factor we found was the friction in the blocks. Replacing old warn out blocks, including the deck organizer, with new ball bearing blocks made a much more noticeable difference than 5:1 vs 4:1. I posted about it here:

Block Comparison

We're replacing a lot of the running rigging this year. I'm not sure if the blocks I'm replacing are original, but they look old enough to be a possibility. Either way, they are old. All of them have small cracks in the sheaves, there's corrosion on the aluminum cheeks where the steel pins...
ericsonyachts.org ericsonyachts.org

I later purchased blocks to bring it back to the original 5:1, but after using this set up for a few years, I'm going to stick with the 4:1
 
bsangs

bsangs

E35-3 - New Jersey
Christian Williams said:
It's a good question. Generally I have found that less is more regarding mainsheet purchase.

For one thing, there's a winch, if a hard set is required. And in light air, the less friction the better.

When the wind comes up, we reef, and with a reef in, purchase necessity is reduced. With two reefs in I can trim hand over hand even in high winds.

A mainsheet clutch comes in handy when reefing, if the mainsheet winch does reefing duty. But that's the only time it does. So I'm against them. I use a cheap clam cleat when the mainsheet is free during reefing, if that. Usually i just let the mainsheet lie there, since the sail is luffing anyhow.

But to each his own, of course. Cruising gear should be simple, I think. We are not racing in a gale.
Click to expand...
I'll definitely look into it. We have a dodger. Main sheet runs to the mast, through a mast-base block, the deck organizer, back through a clutch and onto cabin top winch. (Yes, there's a lot of main sheet line.) Sorry to hijack your thread @Out There.
 
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Out There

Out There

1988 E35-3 on Lake Erie
@bsangs here is a pic of my main sheet setup. I have never noticed a problem with not having enough leverage or with having too much friction in light air
 

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Captain Pete

Captain Pete

Member II
The 35-3 I had last season had the setup in the pic below. I thought I had a better pic somewhere - probably in the 1000's on my phone.

Anyway, no blocks forward to mast and back to stoppers and winch. Easy to release and trim even from wheel single handing. Not sure how it would work with a dodger. But best main trim system I have ever used.35-3 mainsheet set up.jpg
 
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